In this telling, King Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins) is the father of
Grendel (Crispin Glover), thus explaining why Grendel refuses to
fight the King. Grendel wreaks havoc upon Hrothgar's realm until
Beowulf (Ray Winstone) arrives. Learning that no weapon can harm
Grendel, Beowulf determines to fight him unarmed. Grendel proves a
fearsome monster but Beowulf succeeds in pulling his arm from its
socket. Grendel retreats and dies in his mother's cave. Thinking
his troubles are now at an end, Hrothgar rewards Beowulf with his
most precious possession, a golden drinking horn in the shape of a
dragon. However, Grendel's mother (Angelina Jolie) seeks revenge for
her son's death, attacking Hrothgar's realm and slaying many.
Beowulf thus takes it upon himself to kill her as well, venturing
alone into the depths of the swamp with the golden horn to light his
way. Rather than slay her, Beowulf is seduced. He makes a bargain
with her, leaving the golden horn to seal the deal. He exits the
cave with Grendel's head as a trophy and a tale of having slain
Grendel's mother. Hrothgar, who had long ago been seduced, knows the
truth. He wills his kingdom to Beowulf then jumps to his death.
Twenty or more years later, Beowulf is king and the golden horn he
left with Grendel's mother has returned to him, a sign that the
bargain is at an end. Now it is Beowulf's son, a dragon, that
terrorizes the kingdom. Only Wiglaf (Brendan Gleeson) is brave
enough to go with him to fight the dragon. In the epic battle that
follows, Beowulf slays the dragon but dies in the process. Now
Wiglaf shall be king. Wiglaf stands upon the beach with the golden
dragon horn in his hands, watching Beowulf's burial ship burn (Viking
funeral). Then, suddenly, he sees Grendel's mother. She comes to
him and he wades into the water toward her. Shall there be yet
another bargain, another terrible offspring? Fade to black.
The CGI movie of Beowulf is most entertaining and does follow the poem, more or less, but also expands upon it. For instance, there are two distinct parts of Beowulf, the more famous part where as a young man he kills Grendel then Grendel's mother, and the less famous part where, as an old king he slew a dragon. These two events have nothing in common except Beowulf. However, in the movie, they are intimately bound. Some aspects of the dragon episode are included in the Grendel part while some of the Grendel part likewise carry over. For example, Wiglaf was a youthful warrior who accompanied old King Beowulf to fight the dragon, the only man brave enough to do so. In the movie, Wiglaf becomes Beowulf's right hand while fighting Grendel and remains so years later when the dragon attacks. Another tie-in would be the golden goblet stolen from the dragon that incurred its wrath. In this version, it is a magical drinking horn that binds the possessor to Grendel's mother. One of the significant inconsistencies with the poem is that Beowulf's kingdom was in Sweden, while Hrothgar's was in Denmark. Also, though Beowulf was cremated, his remains were buried in a barrow atop a cliff, not sent out to sea.
Most differences between the poem and the movie are cleverly explained away by making Beowulf an unreliable source. Only he was there to witness the fight with Grendel's mother. Did it really happen as he said? This Beowulf is painted as a braggart with an immense ego who is nonetheless a great hero. Of course, one wonders why a man with such incomparable accomplishments would feel the need to embellish them.
The CGI movie of Beowulf is most entertaining and does follow the poem, more or less, but also expands upon it. For instance, there are two distinct parts of Beowulf, the more famous part where as a young man he kills Grendel then Grendel's mother, and the less famous part where, as an old king he slew a dragon. These two events have nothing in common except Beowulf. However, in the movie, they are intimately bound. Some aspects of the dragon episode are included in the Grendel part while some of the Grendel part likewise carry over. For example, Wiglaf was a youthful warrior who accompanied old King Beowulf to fight the dragon, the only man brave enough to do so. In the movie, Wiglaf becomes Beowulf's right hand while fighting Grendel and remains so years later when the dragon attacks. Another tie-in would be the golden goblet stolen from the dragon that incurred its wrath. In this version, it is a magical drinking horn that binds the possessor to Grendel's mother. One of the significant inconsistencies with the poem is that Beowulf's kingdom was in Sweden, while Hrothgar's was in Denmark. Also, though Beowulf was cremated, his remains were buried in a barrow atop a cliff, not sent out to sea.
Most differences between the poem and the movie are cleverly explained away by making Beowulf an unreliable source. Only he was there to witness the fight with Grendel's mother. Did it really happen as he said? This Beowulf is painted as a braggart with an immense ego who is nonetheless a great hero. Of course, one wonders why a man with such incomparable accomplishments would feel the need to embellish them.
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